Women and the Family in the Middle East

Abstract

For anyone interested in the Middle East, Wmen and the Family in the Middle East provides a fascinating study of the lives of present day Arab women. Ten countries - Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya are represented here, and two contributions deal with the women of Palestine. The book is in part a progress report - statements by women and men about their lives and their experiences. These statements, previously unpublished, are offered in different forms: short stories, essays, interviews, poems, social analyses, and life histories. Throughout the book there is an underlying sense of urgency, anxiety about the future, disappointment that many of the revolutionary promises have not been kept. But above all, there is hope, because these women and men wish to survive with honor. One important shift evident in the book is that these people are no longer looking to the West for answers to their problems. They are trying to improve their lives through indigenous traditions and customs; through the dominant religion of the area, Islam, and through their own kinship and family patterns. There is continued emphasis on women and men as elements of a group, rather than as individuals. Middle Eastern women see the existing problems not only as their own but also as conditions involving men, the family, and the wider society. Self-identity for them is rooted in other sets of relationships. Fernea has divided the book into 8 parts. There is also a preface, an introduction, and notes on the contributors. part 1 is the Introduction which also includes a discussion by Algerian women on the need for change. Part 2 deals with the Family. The Arab family is the basic unit of social organization. It constitutes the basic social institution through which persons and groups inherit their religious, social class, and cultural identities. It also provides security and support in times of stress. However, the patriarchal tradition, and the hierarchical structure of the Arab family is now being increasingly challenged. Sharabi in his study of the Arab family concludes that "the ...